The Madonna of the Rabbit
Encyclopedia
The Madonna of the Rabbit is an oil painting by Titian
, dated to 1530 and now held in the Louvre
in Paris
. It is signed "Ticianus f." and is named after the white rabbit (a symbol of fertility and - due to its whiteness - of Mary's purity and the mystery of the Incarnation) held in Mary's left hand.
). He was mourning and melancholic until at least October that year, as shown in the letters sent to Mantua by the ambassador Benedetto Agnello.
It was acquired with the rest of the Gonzaga collection in 1627 by Charles I of England
and on his execution sold at auction. It was acquired in 1665 by cardinal Richelieu and Louis XIV of France
.
and grapes representing the Eucharist and the redemption of sins. In the background a shepherd looks on - a motif drawn from Giorgione
and perhaps intended as a portrait of Federico Gonzaga, since an X-ray shows that the initial composition had Mary turning her eyes towards the shepherd, or of the artist, since the shepherd appears sad and aloof like the mourning Titian.
In the foreground, the wildflowers evoke the idyllic 'locus amoenus' in classical poetry and the Arcadian landscape, which is also found in works like the Pastoral Concert
or the Baccanali
series of Ferrara. The sensitive landscape painting is also notable, with orange stripes over a blue twilit sky, typical of Titian's highly mature phase.
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, dated to 1530 and now held in the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. It is signed "Ticianus f." and is named after the white rabbit (a symbol of fertility and - due to its whiteness - of Mary's purity and the mystery of the Incarnation) held in Mary's left hand.
History
Records show that Federico Gonzaga commissioned three paintings from Titian in 1529. One of these can with some security be identified with The Madonna of the Rabbit. The painting's small format shows it was intended for private devotion. The painting also contains echoes of the artist's personal circumstances at the time - on 6 August 1530 his wife Cecilia died giving birth to their third child, Lavinia, who was then entrusted to Titian's sister Orsa (just as the Christ child in the painting is entrusted into another woman's hands, in this case Catherine of AlexandriaCatherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...
). He was mourning and melancholic until at least October that year, as shown in the letters sent to Mantua by the ambassador Benedetto Agnello.
It was acquired with the rest of the Gonzaga collection in 1627 by Charles I of England
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and on his execution sold at auction. It was acquired in 1665 by cardinal Richelieu and Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
.
Description and style
Catherine is dressed as a maid of honour and is shown with her traditional attribute of a broken wheel at her feet. She and Mary are sitting in a meadow beside a fruit basket which contains apples representing original sinOriginal sin
Original sin is, according to a Christian theological doctrine, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred...
and grapes representing the Eucharist and the redemption of sins. In the background a shepherd looks on - a motif drawn from Giorgione
Giorgione
Giorgione was a Venetian painter of the High Renaissance in Venice, whose career was cut off by his death at a little over thirty. Giorgione is known for the elusive poetic quality of his work, though only about six surviving paintings are acknowledged for certain to be his work...
and perhaps intended as a portrait of Federico Gonzaga, since an X-ray shows that the initial composition had Mary turning her eyes towards the shepherd, or of the artist, since the shepherd appears sad and aloof like the mourning Titian.
In the foreground, the wildflowers evoke the idyllic 'locus amoenus' in classical poetry and the Arcadian landscape, which is also found in works like the Pastoral Concert
Pastoral Concert
The Pastoral Concert is an oil painting attributed to one of the Italian Renaissance masters Titian or Giorgione. It is located in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.-History:...
or the Baccanali
Camerini d'alabastro
The Camerini d'alabastro are a range of rooms built over the Via Coperta in Ferrara, northern Italy, linking the Castello Estense to the Palazzo Ducale. They formed the studiolo or little study of Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara....
series of Ferrara. The sensitive landscape painting is also notable, with orange stripes over a blue twilit sky, typical of Titian's highly mature phase.